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Nankeen Night-heronScientific name: Nycticorax caledonicus

Meaning of name: Nycticorax is from the Greek words nyx or nyctos, meaning night, and corax, meaning crow. Caledonicus means of New Caledonia.

Distribution: Widespread through east, north and the south west of Australia.

Description: This bird can be up to 65cm long with a 110cm wingspan.

Notes: The furthest distance recorded by the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme for this species of bird to travel is 2,993km. The oldest bird recorded was still alive when its band was read in April 1994, 10 years 7.1 months after being banded (information as at 13 June 2012).

The photographs for this species were not taken in the reserves of interest to the FQPB.

References: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Various contributors.
What Bird is That? Neville W Cayley. 1978